Turmeric is a spice with 266 known flavor compounds. The most distinctive molecule is aromatic-turmerone. It pairs most strongly with onion, sharing 211 flavor compounds. Turmeric appears in 9,829 recipes, most commonly in indian cuisine.
Compounds ranked by rarity — the higher the score, the more distinctive to this ingredient.
Of the ~226 molecules that drive perceived food aroma (Dunkel et al. 2014), Turmeric's inventory contains 46. Most of the other 220 compounds are below detection threshold.
+ 34 more — showing top 12 by class and threshold.
Generalist = appears in >25% of foods (Maillard / fermentation products). Individualist = appears in <5% of foods (carries signature notes). Threshold values are in clean water — the actual perception threshold in a food matrix can differ substantially.
How Turmeric's 266 known compounds break down by aroma category. Percentages are of compounds with a known label.
41 of 266 are distinctive to turmeric — they appear in under 10% of foods. The remainder are the background most foods share.
Ordered by measured impact in turmeric — concentration against odour threshold where both are published, then by how distinctive the molecule is across the graph. Molecules measured here but not established as odorants sit below those that are.
Ranked by how often cooks actually use them together, across 453,403 recipes — the familiar answer first. Each pairing still carries its molecular score and shared-compound count; only the ORDER differs. Counts cover every characterised molecule the two ingredients have in common, not only the aroma-active ones, so they can exceed an ingredient’s aroma-compound count. For the chemistry-first view — where the surprising pairings live — see the molecular network below, the side-by-side comparison, or the Pairing Tool.
Turmeric and its 10 closest compound-sharing relatives. Spoke thickness = shared compounds; circle size = that ingredient's own compound count. Drag to rearrange, scroll to zoom, click to open.
Compare Turmeric side-by-side
Drawn from PubMed + Europe PMC + food-science journals. Click any title to read the full abstract on the original source.
Turmeric (<i>Curcuma longa</i> L.) is a popular natural food ingredient worldwide, known for its remarkable antioxidant, anticancer, and cardiovascular protective properties. It ho... Read abstract →
<h4>Context</h4>Turmeric (<i>Curcuma longa</i>) rhizome essential oil is the volatile and aromatic fraction of turmeric rhizome. Despite increasing commercial availability and scie... Read abstract →
Ectoparasite infestations significantly impact the health and productivity of poultry. Chemical applications, although common for pest control, lead to pesticide residues and paras... Read abstract →
The use of phytochemicals for nutritional wellness has attracted worldwide attention and resulted in development of innovative formulations. Turmeric latte is one such formulation.... Read abstract →
This study aimed to prepare and evaluate ground red pepper and turmeric added virgin olive oil (VOO) oleogels with whale spermaceti wax (WSW) as organogelator. The concentration of... Read abstract →
